VIDEO: So What? Sandwich author’s new book cuts to the chase

Tuesday

Clients and employers want the message delivered quickly and succinctly without any filler.

In the business world, you can’t beat around the bush.

Clients and employers want the message delivered quickly and succinctly without any filler.

Sandwich resident Mark Magnacca’s new book “So What? How to Communicate What Really Matters to Your Audience” is a practical guide to that essential sales technique.

The book offers step-by-step strategies of how to connect with an audience.

Magnacca says the book’s message extends far beyond the business world. He says the “so what factor” is important to “anyone who wants to influence somebody or convince somebody to try something.”

Magnacca learned the “so what factor” the hard way after delivering an unsuccessful presentation to the late EMC Vice President Jeff Goldberg.

Much to Magnacca’s surprise, Goldberg insisted that Magnacca present his speech to him privately before approaching his sales team.

Goldberg explained that he wanted to make sure Magnacca’s message was relevant to his employees.

“That was the epiphany,” Magnacca remembers. “I was dumbstruck for a moment. I thought ‘Oh my god! What if it’s not relevant?’”

After the presentation, Goldberg concluded that it wasn’t.

“It was really a tough moment. I thought ‘I’ve got some work to do.’ But I was smart enough not to walk away with my tail between my legs. I asked him some questions. The biggest question I wanted to know was ‘What is important to you?’”

Magnacca took Goldberg’s answers to heart and reworked the presentation to focus on his employee’s needs.

It was so successful that Magnacca was asked back to talk to the company’s next group of new hires.

The book is dedicated to Goldberg’s memory.

Magnacca used Goldberg’s approach to create his company, Insight Development Group Inc. in 1996.

The company offers training programs and workshops led by Mark to help financial advisors and business representatives communicate their message more effectively.

He says the seminars are highly participatory so that clients are directly involved in the learning process.

“I’m in the business of creating seminar training experiences that cause people to have a change in their mindset about what they believe is possible.”

The principles in “So What” originated in those seminars.

Since 1998, about 10,000 people have taken Magnacca’s training program and utilized those principles.

“It’s one of the longest running corporate seminars of its time,” Magnacca says.

Ironically, Magnacca never thought to write a book until his wife Kristen released her first book “Girlfriend to Girlfriend: A Fertility Companion” in 2000.

She appeared on NBC’s “The Today Show” to promote the book and was later featured in Woman’s World magazine, PBS Health Week, and the Boston Globe.

Her second book, “Love and Infertility: Survival Strategies for Balancing Infertility, Marriage, and Life” earned the Hope Award for best book about coping from Resolve: the National Infertility Association.

“Kristen’s the one that started this whole thing,” Mark says proudly. “I’m fortunate that my wife understands and believes in what I do. We couldn’t have done what we’ve done if we didn’t have each other for support.”

His first book “The Product is You” was released in 2003. He says the writing process was easier the second time around.

“There were times when it felt like the words were just coming into my head,” he said.

The book is deliberately short, just 142 pages with lots of white space between sentences, to appeal to busy people that don’t have time for long books.

“It’s not written like a typical non-fiction book. It is purposefully designed to be an easy read like you’re having a conversation with someone.

“This is a book you can read in 90 minutes. If you read this book in 90 minutes, you will take at least one idea that you can actually use.”